Grey. Christi Whitney J.

I’d felt in days. I took frantic gulps of autumn air, trying not to puke or pass out, or whatever my body was desperate to do for relief. The cold burn of oxygen was like medicine. Gradually the queasiness subsided. I pressed my hands to my face until my vision cleared. My skin was hot, almost clammy.

      ‘Great timing,’ I said to no one in particular.

      Now I could add stomach bugs to my record of ill-timed incidents, like having your hair dyed gray right before getting a part in the school play. Or attempting to talk to a girl at the exact moment her boyfriend arrives.

      I took a deep breath, and then a scent I recognized with startling clarity flooded my nostrils. I spun so quickly that I nearly lost my balance. Josephine Romany stood at the entrance of the Holding Tent. Any attempt to act casual seemed impossible.

      Josephine approached. ‘Sebastian?’

      I blinked at her, numb for words. My chance at the second first-impression was diving faster than a stalled-out plane. My tongue finally dislodged itself from the roof of my mouth. ‘Hi, Josephine.’

      I was surprised at how good it felt to say her name, as if it was meant to roll off my lips the way it did.

      ‘Are you okay?’ she asked, searching my face. ‘I saw you run out.’

      I wasn’t sure what startled me more: the fact that she’d noticed me or the fact that she cared enough to enquire. ‘Oh, sure, totally fine. I just needed some air. It was really…hot…in there.’

      Josephine didn’t seem convinced. Her head tilted as she studied me. I tried to smile but ended up squinting at my shoes instead. There was a long pause.

       Mayday. Plane down.

      ‘Hey, would you like a tour of the Ferris wheel?’ she asked suddenly.

      My head snapped up. ‘A tour?’

      Her smile melted my insides. ‘Well, sure. We haven’t gotten much chance to talk since I arrived, and now it looks like we’re going to be in the school play together…’ She trailed off, looking at me with a sort of friendly pity.

       We have a survivor.

      I felt a little confidence return. I hadn’t totally self-destructed. At least, not yet.

      ‘That sounds great,’ I replied.

      ‘That is, if you’re sure you’re feeling all right,’ she added quickly.

      ‘No, I’m good. Everything’s good now.’

      ‘Awesome,’ she said, sounding happy. ‘No one around here ever wants to ride it with me.’

       Ride it?

      The thought hadn’t occurred to me.

      ‘Oh.’

      ‘Oh?’ she repeated in a light tone.

      ‘I have a problem with heights,’ I confessed.

      ‘Well, we don’t have to, then.’

      ‘No,’ I said, hastily. ‘I’d love to ride with you.’

      What was I doing? I hated being in the air. And with my stomach already doing somersaults, the chances of embarrassing myself beyond repair were pretty good. But I couldn’t refuse. Josephine could have asked me to ride a unicycle down a telephone wire, and I would have done it. I didn’t know whether to be happy or horrified. As she looked up at me, I decided on the first.

      Josephine led us away from the crowded game booths to a less populated section of the Fairgrounds. We turned a sharp corner and then the Ferris wheel loomed into view. Its large form consumed the night sky. It was an impressive size for a carnival ride, and I counted twenty green and yellow cars on the circular frame.

      ‘Well, there she is,’ Josephine said. ‘We call her Bessie.’

      ‘Bessie?’

      ‘Yeah,’ she replied, darting through a short, roped-off line. ‘Francis and the other riggers hate her because she’s such a beast to put up.’

      A gray-headed man leaned out of the small booth at the gate as we approached. He gave Josephine a short wave. ‘Two for the wheel?’

      ‘Yes, Karl. I found a willing victim at last.’

      My body threatened a cardiac rebellion, but I had to admit, the thought of being Josephine’s victim was thrilling.

      ‘Well, climb in and I’ll send you up,’ Karl chuckled, ducking back into the booth. ‘You’re the first customers I’ve had all night.’

      ‘Poor Bessie,’ said Josephine, winking at me.

      Our car was bright yellow. Josephine climbed in first. There was a single safety bar, which did nothing to help my acrophobia. Being this close to Josephine was nerve-shattering enough, but now, I was about to be hoisted dozens of feet off the ground. The engine chugged to life. Metal squeaked and groaned, and our car began its circular journey.

      ‘Sebastian, are you sure this is okay with you?’

      Josephine was settled comfortably on her side of the car. The breeze had wrestled a few strands of her hair free from the clip, and they fluttered like angel wings around her face.

      ‘It’s not that bad.’

      Behind her, the roofs of the pavilions sank from view. It was that bad. But I wasn’t about to let her know. I gripped the bar fiercely. My entire life I’d hardly given a girl more than a second glance. Now, suddenly, I couldn’t take my eyes off one.

      And I was going to be sick all over her.

      Josephine smiled. ‘You know, for an actor, you’re not that great a liar.’

      ‘Really? I thought I was masking my feelings of abject terror pretty well, under the circumstances. I haven’t curled up into fetal position. Yet.’

      ‘Ah, something to look forward to, then.’

      ‘Maybe. But I should warn you, my acting skills are about as subpar as my lying. I don’t know how convincing a fetus I’ll make.’ Brilliant, Sebastian. I groaned. ‘Pretend I didn’t just say that.’